Posts Tagged ‘internet advertising’

Is PPC Advertising Worth the Money?

Friday, March 5th, 2010

money-bag-save-moneyIt seems the more money I try to save, the more I am asked to spend. Does this sound true for your business? We know we need to “spend a little to make a little,” but how much should a company be spending on PPC advertising and is it really worth the money to be seen both in PPC and organic search results?

While there are many different opinions as well as ad agencies willing to take your money to “get you on the first page of Google,” there isn’t one strategy that will work for every company. As an ethical SEO company, Search Circus carefully analyzes your business, your budget as well as which online marketing strategies would work best for each type of industry.

I can give you the Cliff notes on paid advertising strategies from several PPC marketing experts .

1. Don’t just “throw together something” when you want to increase your online presence. It’s best to do the research or ask your ethical SEM team to do the research for the best strategy to use PPC advertising, which search engines, how much and how often. It’s best to look at your competitors and their paid online marketing tactics.

2. Don’t try to do too much with not enough. Have you ever overbooked your day or tried to stuff that one last item in a drawer then come back to find the drawer’s contents all over the floor or worse the entire drawer? PPC advertising is like that. Adding too many keywords or ads or types of markets in one campaign is not how you can test and measure the effectiveness of the campaign itself.

3. Think before you act. What are your goals for creating an effective PPC advertising campaign? Who is your audience? What do they want? Each PPC campaign should target one specific audience or geographic location. Then each campaign can have different ad groups with its own products or services. Keep it simple, clean and organized.

4. Follow your competitors. Do your competitors appear on the first page for each niche audience, product or service? Follow their lead, but do it better.

5. Only run your ads as much as your targeted audience is likely to see them. If your audience is not likely to be online between midnight and 6 am, then do not have your ads running during these times.

If you want to gain an edge over your competitors, do something that they aren’t or do it better.

Give your PPC advertising time to capture attention. Oftentimes it takes a few months to several months to see whether it is an effective online advertising strategy. If your sales are not increasing, calls aren’t coming in any more than before starting PPC advertising, then make a few changes, but don’t call it quits all at once.

Not sure if PPC advertising is worth the money for company, contact the online advertising team at SearchCircus.com for the best advice.

Google AdWords Professional Search Makes it Easier to find a Certified Internet Advertising Consultant

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

googleprofessionalsearchThe joke currently making the rounds in the new economy is that these days, everyone’s a consultant. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—great consultants can offer valuable insights and solutions. But how can a business tell a good Internet advertising consultant from a bad one?

If you have a business that could use a little help getting an effective AdWords campaign off the ground, then Google may have the answer. The company has quietly announced a new service that lets you search for an Internet advertising consultant who has been certified as an expert by Google.

In order for an Internet advertising consultant to be certified, they have to complete a rather rigorous program. To qualify as an AdWords expert, an Internet advertising consultant must have already completed a series of AdWords campaigns. Furthermore, the consultant must pass a series of exams. Google explains that a certified Internet advertising consultant is not a Google employee,

…but rather are online marketing professionals, agencies, and other individuals such as search engine marketers (SEMs), search engine optimizers (SEOs), and marketing consultants. They have been certified by Google to manage AdWords accounts. To become qualified, professionals must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of AdWords by passing exams, and they must meet all our qualification guidelines.

So what does this new AdWords Internet advertising consultant search actually do? It lets you search for certified AdWords pros by location. You can also find a qualified Internet advertising consultant by budget. And you can narrow your search for an Internet advertising consultant by the additional services they may offer.

Want to find a AdWords certified professional who also specializes in Web design? No problem. Want a social media expert? Google’s professional search can help you connect with one. Right now the Internet advertising consultant search is in beta, and it’s restricted to the United States, but expect that to change as Google makes it easier for the international Internet advertising consultant crowd to get certified.

Google Releases New AdSense Internet Advertising Features

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

Today, Google is rolling out a new AdSense Internet advertising feature, and this looks like its going to be an important one.

The new AdSense Internet advertising program will be partially based on users’ browsing habits and previous online behaviors. That means that if you’ve been shopping online for new sneakers, you can expect to see more ads for sneakers—even if you’re visiting a Website that’s not about sneakers at all.

The whole thing is done through a cookie that stores information on which sites you’ve visited. Google calls it interest-based Internet advertising.

While this feature is new to Google, Internet advertising programs similar to this have been used by several other major online advertisers already. But many may still worry about what personal information is being stored. Will users be able to opt out?

The good news for the privacy-minded is yes. Not only can users choose not to have their Internet usage tracked, but they can also view and even tweak the Internet advertising information that Google has about them. Google has also assured the public that it will not deliver ads based on one’s race, religion, sexual orientation, health or financial problems.

But Google (probably correctly) predicts that most users won’t be concerned enough to opt out of the AdSense’s interest-based advertising. And in addition, AdSense publishers can even choose to not be part of the new program. There was apparently some concern that the information appearing in the Internet advertising on AdSense publishers’ pages could potentially help their competitors. Don’t want to risk that? No problem—don’t opt in to the new program.

But if this interest-based Internet advertising turns out to be more profitable that the traditional AdSense, then there will probably won’t be many Website publishers too worried about giving their competitors too much information.